Forsaking the truth …

Journalism has changed a lot since the days I was reporting and editing for a chain of newspapers in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

What’s the biggest change?

Back then, at the heart of reporting were two key essentials: what you reported had to be true, and you had to have at least one verified source for that truth. Today, much of what we read, watch, and listen to from news media are journalists sharing their own opinions or “observations.”

The same kind of change slipped into the church a long time ago, especially behind pulpits. It used to be what was preached and taught had to be the truth, and that truth had to have the source of the Word of God. Now what we often hear, watch, or listen to are preachers sharing their own opinions or “observations.”

Just as journalists have forsaken the search for truth in order to make themselves famous, preachers today are forsaking the Word of God to build their own “brands.”

It ought not to be so!

The Apostle Paul shares with us who should be entrusted with the teaching and preaching of God’s Word:

“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others,” 2 Timothy 2:2.

At the heart of church leadership is the “passing on” of the truth of God’s Word. If a person cannot be trusted to do that, they should not seek or be in a position of spiritual leadership. We need more leaders who proclaim the Gospel and less who focus on themselves.

Christ must increase, and we must decrease.

Scotty